They promise responsibly-sourced meat and sustainable seafood, as well as farm-sourced seasonal ingredients

Cons

The pricing is a little higher than other meal subscription box services

They’re unable to guarantee that their meals are free of allergens and other ingredients of concern

The recipe cards only list calories, so you’ll have to look at the recipe online for more nutritional information

What Is Plated?

Working on Wall Street might seem like a dream job, but not for Nick Taranto, an ex-Marine whose career at Goldman Sachs had him working 70-hour weeks and eating nothing but take-out. He knew there had to be a better way to eat, and that’s why he and Josh Hix, a friend he met at Harvard Business School, decided to start up Plated in 2012. From there, they built a company that focuses on both convenience and quality.

Today, Plated is still offering creative dishes with thoughtfully sourced ingredients. But that’s not the only thing that makes this meal subscription box service stand out.

Each weekly menu features 13 different recipes to choose from, plus dessert.

You can change the day your weekly delivery is on whenever you want, and can skip a certain week at any time.

Unboxing Plated

When first opening my Plated box, I was pleasantly surprised to find the liner keeping my food cold was made from recycled jute coffee bags and raw cotton, which is 100% compostable. The recipe cards are right on top where you can easily find them, and underneath my two meals were packed up in separate plastic bags. The ingredients inside those bags were compact and organized, and the meat protein was placed underneath a cardboard insert and gel packs to keep it cool.

The Review

While some meal subscription box services have more of a homey feel like a chef packaged up everything themselves for you, there’s something very luxurious about Plated’s service. Every meal on the website looks like it’s straight out of a cookbook, and the way my package was set up in general made me feel like I should throw on a fancy chef hat and apron and get to work. Everything was very modern and clean, and I appreciated that.

But onto the food. I received two meals: Lemon Butter Chicken with Orzo and Peas and Salmon and Bok Choy Stir-Fry Over Brown Rice. Both of the meals came with the ingredients packaged separated and neatly labeled, making it easy to start preparing everything once it came time to make the recipe. Since Plated really values quality, I was curious to see how everything looked once it arrived at my apartment, and I was happy to find that the ingredients were nice and fresh.

My boyfriend likes cooking but doesn’t do it often, so when he brought out the stir-fry dish and it looked exactly like it did on the recipe card, I was incredibly impressed: the directions are easy to follow and even offer tips and hacks to ensure you get the best possible results. Since I’m vegan, it was also easy for him to omit certain ingredients (like the oyster sauce) and cook the meat protein separately.

With that being said, not every dish is as easy to switch up for dietary restrictions as the stir-fry was: Even though 13 different meals are offered weekly, there are a few vegetarian options available but nothing specifically vegan. And if you have other restrictions — like nut allergies, for instance — there’s no way to filter recipes other than clicking each one and looking under the “Allergens” section by the ingredients list to see if it makes the cut. There are definitely less options available than other services I’ve tried out.

But all in all, Plated is impressive. The cost might be higher than other options, but you get what you pay for: restaurant-quality food in the comfort of your own home.

Cost

Plated's pricing ranges depending on how many servings and meals you want per week. The most popular option — 2 servings, 3 nights a week — is $72/week, which equals out to $12/meal. If you find that what you ordered is too much or not enough, you can change your plan at any time and the pricing will be adjusted from there.

How To Subscribe

To sign up for Plated, click the Sign Up button and select which plan you'd like. Next, fill in your information. From there, you'll be able to choose which day you prefer to receive your boxes. Next, enter your payment information, which authorizes Plated to charge you every week unless you skip a certain week, change your plan, or cancel your subscription. After you're all signed up, you can choose which recipes you want for your shipments.

Managing Your Subscription

You can easily modify your box on your Weekly Menus Page. Just make sure you select which meals you want by noon 6 days prior to your delivery date. If you don’t select which meals you want, you’ll automatically be sent recommended recipes based off the Taste Profile you filled out and your order history. Meals are shown up to 4 weeks in advance so you can choose what you want early.

If you want to cancel or change your subscription, you can do so at any time. Just be aware that any boxes marked as "Confirmed" will be sent and billed while those marked as "Open" can still be canceled.

Is Plated Worth It? THE VERDICT: Yes

So, is Plated worth it? If you’re someone who appreciates chef-designed recipes and wants to put together a meal that looks like it belongs in a cookbook, this service will help you do that. It might be pricier, but if you already eat out a lot anyway, it will probably save you money in the long run. Plus, the recipes are incredibly easy to put together and won’t take you all night to do it. With that being said, it’s not the best option for someone with dietary restrictions unless you don’t mind doing a little extra work swapping ingredients at home and looking closely through the allergens list on each recipe.

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